Paso Robles: Picnicking in the wine country

By Jackie Burrell, Contra Costa Times

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Paso Robles boasts a bounty of treasures — beautiful vineyards, rolling hills and some of the best restaurants around. But pop into any winery tasting room and chances are you’ll see one, very familiar book jacket. Brigit Binns’ “The New Wine Country Cookbook: Recipes from California’s Central Coast” (Andrews McMeel, $35, 304 pages) is a love letter to the wineries, vineyards, olive groves and top-notch restaurants of the region. It’s what brought her home.

One might argue that Paso Robles got an excellent deal out of it. The move snagged the wine association its very own viral oenophile, the Paso Wine Man. Their sly, funny videos about varietals star Binns’ husband, actor Casey Biggs, who mixes roles on “The Good Wife,” “Elementary” and other TV shows, with his hilariously suave Paso Wine Man alter ego. (Sample line: “Do I smell grass, charcoal, church bingo? No, I smell freedom — freedom from the tyranny of a single grape.”)

But Binns, a prolific food writer and recipe developer, and Paso Robles are a great match. With 24 cookbooks under her belt, she’s written about everything from polenta, her first solo cookbook, to whole beast butchery, the latter a collaboration with San Francisco’s Ryan Farr of 4505 Meats. Now the topic is Central California’s wine and artisanal food scene, from Monterey to Santa Barbara. Naturally, we had questions.

Q: What brought you to Paso Robles?

A: When I was growing up in Southern California, we spent a lot of time on Hollister Ranch near Santa Barbara. I’ve been searching for that forever. This is the closest I can get to that. It’s ranch country — but with wine.

Q: What’s the winemaking community like?

A: There’s a dichotomy here. There are people who came with tons of money and who wanted to be gentlemen farmers. You know what they say about yachting? It’s like standing under a cold shower tearing up $1,000 bills. This is like that but with mud. And then there are dirt farmers, passionate people whose heart tells them this is what they want to do. It’s an interesting mixture.

Q: Tell us the back story — what prompted the book?

A: I saw a niche here that wasn’t filled yet, a growing wine region that didn’t have a glossy book. Napa and Sonoma have plenty of those kinds of books. And I wanted a reason to move here. (Laughs) It’s the most fun book I’ve ever done. It’s all about the bounty of the county.

Q: It certainly got you out to a lot of wineries. Tell us about your favorites for picnicking.

A: Cass is my absolute top favorite. Chateau Margene is beautiful, with a gorgeous building and a pond. Daou is absolutely gorgeous, Halter Ranch, gorgeous. And Still Waters has a vale of olive groves, beautiful old buildings — it’s almost like a summer camp.

Q: What’s in your picnic basket?

A: A frittata, cut in wedges and wrapped so you don’t have to worry about serving. You could do ceviche if you have cute little Tupperware thingies or Mason jars. Salads wilt — unless you use fennel. I’d do a fennel and persimmon salad with pistachios, or a melon salad with orzo and blue cheese. And dessert? A Rosemary Polenta Cake with Plum Compote. Polenta brings me full circle.

Five Perfect Picnic Spots

The 300-plus wineries of the Central Coast region offer all sorts of picnicking possibilities. These are five of Brigit Binns’ favorites.

Cass Winery: This winery is on the east side of the valley, near the town of Creston. Enjoy chef Jacob Lovejoy’s crab cakes, steak sandwiches or a BLAST (house-cured bacon, lettuce, avocado and Windrose Farms’ smoked tomato aioli on an Edna’s Bakery hoagie roll) with your wine at the Cass cafe or take up a perch at one of the picnic tables outside. 7350 Linne Road, Paso Robles; www.casswines.com

Chateau Margene: With two tasting rooms, one just off Paso Robles’ winding, hillside country lanes on the west side and the second near Creston, Chateau Margene offers a choice of picnic possibilities, including a pond setting at the Chateau Margene Limerock Orchards site. 6996 Peachy Canyon Road, Paso Robles; www.chateaumargene.com

Daou Vineyards: With a 2,200 foot elevation, Daou’s views extend from its own bucolic vineyards and olive groves to forever. It’s a gorgeous view, best enjoyed from one of the curved barrel-stave chairs with a glass of wine in hand. Daou offers wine and food pairings, too, with offerings like a house charcuterie, a farmers market salad, cassoulet and housemade ice cream. 2777 Hidden Mountain Road, Paso Robles; www.daouvineyards.com

Still Waters Vineyards: This rustic boutique winery is popular with brides and picnickers alike. Bring a picnic basket loaded with provisions from town, and enjoy your own food and wine pairings. 2750 Old Grove Lane, Paso Robles; www.stillwatersvineyards.com

Picnic Provisions

The General Store: This adorable shop on Paso Robles’ downtown square offers all sorts of gift items, cookbooks and Paso-centric delights. Drift to the back to pick up picnic comestibles, craft sodas, crackers, a wedge of Holey Cow creamy swiss from the Central Coast Creamery, perhaps, or a jar of Alle-Pia Salumi’s take on ‘Nduja, a spreadable salami. 841 12th St., Paso Robles; www.generalstorepr.com

Pithy Little Wine Company: This small winery tasting room includes a refrigerator case of picnic supplies, including Cowgirl Creamery cheeses, Alle-Pia’s tartufo and finocchiona salami, and their own vintage-style sodas in flavors such as cream, orange cream and root beer. 1244 Pine St. B, Paso Robles; www.pithywine.com

Brigit Binns teaches cooking classes at Refugio, her outdoor kitchen in Paso Robles, with a lineup of guests from area wineries and distilleries. Upcoming classes include an April 13 session on cutting-edge cocktails and easy appetizers with Re:Find distillery-master and Villicana winemaker Alex Villicana; and a May 2 pickling class with chef Pandee Pearson and Domaine Degher winemaker Denis Degher ($85). Find details at www.brigitbinns.com.